Student Evaluations of Teaching Effectiveness Scores (click to download a pdf file: Summary of Student Ratings of Course and Instructor)

Literature Courses:

• There were some things we read I never thought I’d understand, but you explained it in such a way that it would make sense! Thank you very much for your support and words of encouragement because there were times when self-doubt made me think I wouldn’t make it! I appreciate all you did to help me succeed!
• Dr. J, Thank you not only for the uplifting recommendation letter, but also for being an inspirational, strong female figure. I look up to you for these things as well as for your teaching strategies and hope to keep in touch.
• They say that good teachers teach well, but the best teachers inspire, and you– through this coursework–have inspired me to work harder at trying to find what I am looking for.
• The instructor was always well prepared to lead a class discussion. Questions were always answered efficiently. The instructor allowed for the class to discuss the topics we felt were important. The tests were fair and really tested everything from the readings and class discussions.
• Strengths: The way she used other forms of media to get her point across about topics/themes.
• The topics discussed in class were not only useful in terms of literary importance but in their real-life applications as well.
• The class is very writing intensive for the basic level. I understand writing is crucial but I think the amount should be reduced slightly.
• Strengths of the course were the variety of types of text presented within the duration. One of the major strengths of the instructor was her willingness to be approached by students, as well as her thorough comments on the work completed by students. Also, the lectures were all easy to follow/comprehend and she encouraged class participation.
• I liked the way everything was graded. The quizzes and projects provide a nice balance of materials to be graded without being too stressing. I also really loved the way we discussed the materials. Lectures and large and small group discussions helped to vary the classes and keep me interested. Also the prof was very good at explaining and relating the more difficult texts.
• This course and the method of teaching and curriculum of the instruction was well-planned. The stories chosen by the instructor provided a broad array of social commentary and literary canons to explore and analyze. She did a thorough job of including multiple genres and multiple subjects and issues to read about, apply to literature and to life.
• The instructor did a good job of asking the right questions in order to get people in the class to participate. She knew the material very well and was able to connect the stories to a literary time-frame as well as connect them to a social context.
• One of the greatest strengths of the class was discussion generated by class/students and teacher. The Anthology Paper was also a worthwhile assignment that enabled me to explore my own interests.

General Studies Courses:

• I loved the quality of this class. It provided me with a lot of good, beneficial information. I would definitely encourage it to a friend.
• I loved the quality of the lectures. The ones that stick the most to my mind are the lecture about the sexual sign system and the Star Trek video clip.
• Far too much work for a general education class.
• Strengths of the course and instructor: clear outline of class, diverse range of themes, engaging teaching style, nice mix of genres and technology. Message boards were a great forum.
• This course makes you think about popular culture and how it affects society. It is very interesting to look deep into everyday things that you don’t think about. The instructor was very motivated and loved teaching the class. She made the class fun for me.

Writing Courses:

• Our teacher really cared. She cleared up all of my confusion. She sparked my desire to write and continue working on a paper.
• I liked going to the café to do peer reviews.
• I used these skills to write papers in other classes.
• The instructor always tried to make class fun. That is tough to do at 9:00am, but she did. She was always willing to talk to me. She always had good ideas and helpful hints to make my papers better.
• Instructor was really concerned with the student’s development. Could go to her office with any question about your paper.
• She always had intriguing ways of challenging thinking and opinions.
• Every aspect of the course was helpful. From Kristin’s demeanor, which helped to lead the class, to the computer and visual materials, to the diversity of lectures and teaching methods—all helped to keep the class interesting and moving.